Breaker raises $2MN for Japanese mobile video network

Aiming no less than to “revolutionise” mobile video entertainment in Japan, producer and distributor Breaker has closed a seed round financing of $2 million from a number of leading venture firms.

Tokyo-based strategic consulting and business development firm Dream Incubator led the investment round, joined by Siemer Ventures and other concerns, which Breaker says will be the driving force behind a new generation of networks that produce and distribute content.
Digital media venture studio Designed for Revolution (DFR Asia), which originally conceived and launched Breaker, will play an on-going management role.
Breaker sees a huge opportunity, particularly in Japan, which on a per capita basis has the largest mobile content market in the world but, says the company, has been lagging in streaming video.
YouTube in the country has not been as prevalent as elsewhere in the world and the Hulu over-the-top (OTT) service and Amazon Instant Video have started to make inroads. It quotes industry experts predicting an explosion in the demand for streaming video, and promises to provide up-to-the-minute content to an always-connected audience. The firm will emphasise content for entertainment, music and fashion.
Commenting on the move, Alan Swarts, Breaker CEO, said: "There is a huge shift to video consumption underway inAsiathat has radically altered the landscape for content distribution. Our team, with its vast experience and expertise in both established and emerging media, is uniquely qualified to fulfil the surging demand with ground-breaking content. Our goal is to deliver a major new category of content specifically for this new generation of mobile media consumers."